I always look forward to doing the Blogging Marathon. Last month, the group had a mega marathon of 26 flatbreads and every one who participated did an amazing job with compiling them on their blogs. I, for one, would never be able to do it! Sometimes, with the way my interest in cooking is spiralling down despite cooking on and off, I sometimes wonder if I will be able to pull up even posts for the BM. Hehe… I guess we all go through such a phase in life where we just loose our interest. I am trying hard to hold on to it and hopefully it doesn’t slip through my fingers… 😉 Coming to the topic I chose for the next three days for this first week of Blogging Marathon #93, it is “One Ingredient – 3 ways” and the one ingredient I chose is paneer. There…
Vendakka Kichadi ~ Okra in Yogurt Sauce
After so many months, I took to participating in the Shh Cooking Challenge this month. I have been wanting to participate ever since they started the challenge of cooking from Indian states – only doing Goa, but somehow or the other, I was not able to give in my name. First of all, I was on the phase of watching my eating, and secondly, my family at times are dicey with their food, if not always. So I was worried – if I cook something different and they won’t eat it, then what is the point in it appearing on the blog? When the declaration came on the group that it would be Kerala on the spotlight following the aftermath of the disastrous floods, I jumped into it. After all, it’s my state, and there is so much for me to explore of its own food! I was paired…
Vegetable Kurma | Cheat Version!
With life getting so hectic, cooking has taken a back seat. I do a lot of meal prepping for myself and for the family, I settle down with meals that are really easy to cook. I am trying to update some 30 minute meals on this blog and hopefully will try to update my old posts with the tag so that I can feature it on my sidebar for easy review, InShaAllah. There’s a lot of polishing to be done on my old posts, I will slowly work on that part and try to update all the categories and tags by the end of this year. I am hoping I will be able to look into those by slowing down on my blogging. Let’s see… 🙂 Meanwhile, bringing you one of the best easy fix curries I have made… There was this blog called Chef El Dente that…
Oats Mushroom Soup
When I come back from vacation, I tend to feel emotionally low, at least for a few weeks, till life settles and runs into routine. I guess it’s the same with many of us. This time, due to the floods that some part of Kerala went through, I had a problem with my return. For us, the closest airport is Calicut and I always take my tickets for travel there, but this time, my wish to see Kochi airport overrode and I decided to travel there. For us, Kochi is almost three hours drive during off-peak and I better not hint on how long it can take during peak! But I must tell you, it is such a beautiful airport! I mean, I haven’t seen so much cleanliness back home anywhere, so it did give me a pleasant surprise to see how clean it is. Coming back to the…
Tzatziki ~ Greek Dill Yogurt Sauce
Time for the Muslim Food Blogger Challenge post! After a couple of dull months as far as participation was concerned, I thought it best to keep the theme simple this month. It is “Cooking with an Ingredient – Cucumber”. Cucumber is something that everybody likes to eat. The beauty of this humble vegetable is that it doesn’t need anything to go with it, and makes a healthy filling snack whenever hunger pangs decide to hit you. I have cucumbers in my fridge all the time. My girls eat at least one every day, so I have to make sure I stock up. Did you know that cucumber was one of the favorite foods of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? He used to eat it along with dates. During Ramadan, my Iftar used to be a salad of lettuce and cucumbers, along with the mandatory dates. I tried the combination and…
Andhra Punugulu | Idli Batter Bonda
There are certain things in life that make you happy. They may necessarily not be something that makes you spend millions. Just the simple things in life… I haven’t shared any slides on this blog for so long. I thought I have to save this one up, since it has a list that really excites me, though for sure, more can go into this list… There are times when I end up with extra idli batter, that the kids don’t want it to be made into more idlis or loosened up for making dosas. That is when I discovered this fantastic street snack, so famous in our neighboring Andhra Pradesh, called “Punugulu”. Cute name, right? 🙂 Punugulus are basically made of freshly prepared or fermented rice batter, with some spices and extra ingredients added and then deep fried into fluffy and crispy fritters. Instead of…
Shivid Polow | Persian Dill Rice
I somehow can’t explain the feeling as of now. Ramadan is reaching its end. Saying this itself makes me sad. We start off with so much excitement and then once it reaches the last days, a sense of dejavu always comes by. At the same time, everybody looks forward to the days of Eid – the days of celebration for those who did their duties during the month of Ramadan. The day of Eid-ul-Fitr is a literal stock taking of our own soul and heart during the last 29 to 30 days for strict fasting for the Almighty. It is a chance for us to mend our ways and get closer to what is the ultimate truth. And yes, a reminder to pay the Zakatul Fitr as well – first and foremost to myself… The advancement of social media has actually sucked us up so much into worldly…
Bread Dahi Vada
Can you believe that half the Ramadan has just flown by? I am seriously in a shock. This year has been really hectic for me. Even though there is no change in my schedule from how it has been for the past few Ramadans, it’s been very tough to manage. My cooking doesn’t get done in time. I haven’t been making any snacks for the folks, especially with both my kids fasting. The younger one has taken to fasting very seriously and Alhamdulillah, she has managed to take all her fasts. She is 7 and everybody who is hearing about it is shell-shocked. I don’t discourage my kids or worry that it will tire them. In fact, kids tend to be more energetic in these cases because they are excited about the whole prospect of going hungry for a long time and not having to eat! 😀 I feel…
Mughlai Dal Kabila | Urad Dal Tadka
After the Muringakaya Parippu Curry, here’s the second recipe under “Dazzling Dals” for the Blogging Marathon #88. I don’t have a single recipe on the blog which features urad dal as its main ingredient, so I am glad finally it is being featured! For us, urad dal is for idli batters. Period… I never knew it was used in curries till I was wondering what to have for lunch one day in the office, and our Pakistani office boy mentioned, “Aapi, mash ki daal order karoo?” (Can I order “Mash Ki Dal”?) I had no clue what it was, but since it was “daal”, I told him OK. When he got it with a roti, I was shocked to find urad dal. Mash Ki Dal is what it is called in Urdu. I was like, “Esse curry bhi banaathe hai?” (Oh, we make curry of this?), he gave…
Paneer Butter Masala
This post is long overdue. Let me tell you why… I rarely receive requests for recipes. Many bloggers write on their blog that they try recipes due to requests received, but somehow, I have never received requests as such. I always receive mails and messages about the recipes that are already on the blog or what they have felt after reading what I have penned down in my moods, but never a request for a recipe. Believe me, I have no complaints about that too…. 😀 But, I have a very faithful reader. One day, I got an email from her, saying how much she loves my blog and how, as a newly married staying with her husband, with no relatives in Bangalore, has made her browse through my blog, search recipes and try them. Each time she tried them, they turned out amazing – Alhamdulillah! Slowly that…
Bagara Baingan ~ Hyderabad style Eggplants in Peanut-Coconut Sauce
I guess we all would love to travel some or the other time. I would love to travel, however having a spouse who is not very keen to go around and prefers to be stuck more with his work doesn’t make it a possibility. In turn, B keeps travelling on and off. After an expensive trip to UK last year, he took a break for six months to recoup and then travelled to Hong Kong and Tunisia this year already. My fridge is slowly filling up with his magnets. 😀 My girls keep cribbing that we go nowhere. I just tell them to be patient and InShaAllah, we will go someday. Travelling with a family isn’t cheap though, but with loads of options now, I guess we all must plan in at-least one trip a year, even if it maybe by skipping the trip back home. After having talked…
Pudina Matar Pulao | Mint Peas Pilaf
At times, I feel like I want to sit and type something on the blog, like I used to do before. My thoughts used to flow onto the screen and it used to relieve me so much. My heart used to feel light. But now, it feels stuck. Stuck of what, I really don’t know. Actually, my days are totally packed. From the time I wake up to the time I sleep, every minute is packed with activity that I don’t have time to think too much. I really don’t know if it’s a good sign. While I lie to sleep, I always thing to myself whether I took the time to breathe and enjoy the process, whether I cooked with pleasure… It feels like I am just going with the flow. One way, it is good that I have no time to attract any negativity towards me, but…